Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones are valuable scientific instruments in Antarctica but are not toys for tourists. That’s the ruling from the latest meeting of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). For the upcoming 2015-2016 season, the IAATO members have agreed not to allow the recreational use of drones in the coastal areas of Antarctica. …
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The number of tourists to Antarctica for the 2015/2016 season is expected to be the second largest in history with 40,029 visitors. The International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) reports only the 2007/2008 season had higher numbers with 46,265 people. …
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In this podcast, we speak to Michael Smith about Tom Crean and his heroic exploits in Antarctica during three of the great polar expeditions, under the leadership of Scott and Shackleton. …
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Icebergs are created when large chunks of freshwater ice break off Antarctic ice shelves or glaciers and calve into the Southern Ocean. To be classified as an iceberg, the ice extruding from the water must be at least five metres above sea level, be between 30-50 metres thick, and must cover an area of at least 500 square meters. Icebergs can have a direct effect on the sea bed, scouring the seafloor where it makes contact.
But who monitors icebergs? And how big can they get? …
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Peter Beggs of Antarctica New Zealand talks about his countries long-standing commitment to science research on the ice, and the permanent station on Ross Island, Scott Base, established in 1957. …
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This conference brought together international experts and NZ’s leading policy makers, scientists and industry representatives, to showcase adaptation strategies for managing sea level rise in NZ. …
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Changing ocean chemistry may threaten Antarctic food chain

Researchers at the University of California in Santa Barbara have collected the first long-term evidence that links rising levels of carbon and changes in ocean chemistry in Antarctic waters to the inability of tiny animals, such as sea snails, to build the protective, shells they need to survive.

As oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the air, it makes the water more acidic, decreasing what scientists call the pH.

Pteropods

Pteropods, such as sea butterflies, a type of sea snail, are small organisms that play an integral role at the base of the food chain in the Ross Sea. That food chain includes predators such as Antarctic cod, penguins and Orca whales. Changes could have serious implications on the future survival of other creatures throughout the Ross Sea.

A previous study in 2014 by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on the effect of projected ocean acidification levels on pteropods found that, as the pH levels of the world’s oceans become more acidic, their shells would begin to dissolve.

During the study, the shell of a pteropod was immersed in ocean water with the projected pH level that the oceans could reach by the year 2100. After a month and a half in the water, the shell had dissolved almost completely.

Monitoring pH levels in the Ross Sea

To monitor these changes, lead researcher Gretchen Hofmann and her team have been deploying automated ocean sensors around McMurdo Sound in Antarctica since 2010, giving them the longest continuous dataset on ocean pH in the region.

A diver deploys an automated ocean sensor in the icy waters of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica.
Photo credit: NSF and University of California, Santa Barbara

By continuing to deploy these pH water sensors, the team hopes to gain a more complete understanding of the ocean changes and their potential effects on one of the world’s most biologically productive ecosystems, one of the planet’s few remaining marine wilderness areas.